Edwardian Teddington (London)

Ken Howe

Reading Edwardian Teddington is like peeping through a keyhole into the beginning of the last century. It tells the story of a young girl from a working class family observing life all around her as she goes about her daily duties.

She recalls the trips to the shops in the pre-supermarket era, a different shop for each commodity, highlighting the different prices and services. She tells of animals being led to the slaughterhouse and the subsequent chaos if any of them escaped en route. Schooldays are also described from the journey up the forms to starting work.

It is hard to believe that Teddington was almost a rural town 100 years ago. This book is a must for anyone with longstanding family links to Teddington and also a very good read for anyone with a sense of local history.